Frosty Fudgecakes with PB-Fudge Frosting!

12:21 PM

Frosty Fudgecakes with PB-Fudge Frosting! Are you drooling yet? I made these decadent nearly vegan (I use a little honey but also...

Frosty Fudgecakes with PB-Fudge Frosting!

Are you drooling yet? I made these decadent nearly vegan (I use a little honey but also provide a vegan option for the recipe below) and gluten-free frosty cupcakes for my mom's birthday. What a hit! Everyone was wowed by the incredible texture of these frosty cupcakes. They came out more like chocolate fudge than cake after I let them cool down in my sister's freezer for 30 minutes before I served them. Don't like fudge? Don't freeze them and they will be moist chocolate cupcakes instead!

Why did I freeze them?

Because putting chocolate cake in the freezer creates an amazing flavor and texture combination. Why? I have no idea, but trust me, if you've never done it, do it!

These delicious cupcakes aren't made with just any chocolate cake batter. This batter is loaded with healthy gluten-free whole-grain flours, good fats from organic safflower oil, chia seeds and flax and is sweetened with dates, maple syrup and a touch of honey. Unfrosted, these cupcakes are egg, nut and dairy free. If you use one of my peanut butter substitutes (listed below) or a different frosting, the recipe can easily be made peanut-free!

These cupcakes get their sweetness from natural sweeteners like dates, pear sauce (you can substitute apple sauce), maple syrup and honey. If you are a VEGAN and don't consume honey, you can replace it in this recipe with a combination of either maple syrup mixed with a little liquid stevia or agave nectar if the batter needs an extra hint of sweetness.

These cupcakes are so delightfully fudgey that they don't even need frosting!

So for anyone who's allergic to peanut butter or just doesn't want as decadent a dessert, try these intense little fudgecakes on their own, they won't disappoint you!

For those of you seeking pure chocolate peanut butter decadence in cupcake form, the Peanut Butter-Fudge Frosting recipe provided below is a must!

The frosting's texture is dreamy, lost between chocolate ganache and buttercream, without any butter or cream!

Best of all, this frosting isn't overloaded with any refined sugar. Most buttercream and frosting recipes require cups and cups of icing sugar -- this recipe however uses no icing sugar at all! Organic peanut butter, pure cocoa powder and a little virgin coconut oil come together beautifully with the help of a few natural sweeteners and fruits to form an intense but healthy chocolate peanut butter experience you may never forget.

Don`t want to try these frosty fudgecakes? Make the frosting anyway! Store it in the fridge and use it like Nutella!

For those who want a peanut butter-fudge frostingexperience without peanuts, you can substitute another nut or seed butter in the recipe below (try sunbutter or pumpkin seed butter, or if you eat other nuts you could try cashew or almond butter). If you choose to substitute a different nut or seed butter, I recommend tasting your frosting before using or storing it -- it may need more water or more dates or honey for sweetness than my peanutbutter version required depending on the butter you choose to substitute.

Frosty FudgecakesMakes 12 frosty chocolate cupcakes

For VEGAN cupcakes, prepare Chia-Flax Eggs before starting this recipe

1 tbsp chia seeds

1.5 tbsp ground golden flax seed

1/2 cup Boiling water

Mix ingredients together in a boil. Allow 10 minutes to gel before making the rest of the recipe. If you are not VEGAN you could use 2 real eggs instead.Cupcake Recipe Part I:

1 cup amaranth flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

dash coarse sea salt

1 tsp vanilla powder

Add Part I ingredients to a food processor and pulse to distribute.Part II:

2-3 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup pitted dates

1 tbsp maca powder

3/4 cup pear sauce

Add all Part II ingredients to the processor. Pulse then blend until well mixed.Part III:

3 heaping tsp vegenaise

1 tsp lemon juice

Add Part III ingredients to the processor. Blend briefly. It will pull into a chocolate dough.Part IV:

Add to dough and blend until smooth. Taste! Add extra dates and a touch of water if not sweet enough. Or add honey as it sweetens dramatically when added to the batter in small amounts.

Once you are satisfied with the flavor of your batter, pour into a cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers, filling each 3/4 full. My batch made about 12 cupcakes. Bake in oven preheated 330F until risen and firm to touch, about 30 minutes.I recommend frosting the cupcakes after they are thoroughly cooled and storing the frosted cupcakes in the FREEZER! The cupcakes become insanely dense and fudgey after a 30 minute nap in the freezer (don't worry, they won't freeze solid). They are delicious un-frozen as well though. If you decide to try freezing them, allow them to sit at room temperature for a couple minutes before serving them.

Peanut Butter-Fudge FrostingMakes about 2 cups of frosting, which is double the quantity you will need for the cupcake recipe above even if you frost generously. Save the leftover and use as a spread on toast or just eat it by the spoonful!

4.5 tbsp 100% cocoa powder

2 tbsp boiling water

1 tbsp unsweetened pear sauce (or substitute applesauce)

8 heaping tbsp unsalted unsweetened smooth organic peanut butter (or substitute the nut or seed butter of your choice, you may need to add more dates or maple syrup or more water if you use a different butter to achieve a nice flavor and texture)

1 tbsp solid virgin coconut oil

4 small pitted dates (or 2 Medjool dates)

1/2 cup warm water

3 tsp honey OR use 4-5 tsp maple syrup (for VEGAN version)

3 dashes coarse sea salt (it needs salt if you use unsalted pb like I did!)

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp chocolate extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp maca powder

small squeeze lime juice

Blend all ingredients thoroughly together in food processor until very smooth. If the texture seems gritty or crumbly, add a little water to it and blend again. The finished texture needs to be silky smooth like peanut butter. Be sure to taste it before you store it. It should taste sweet, chocolatey and peanut buttery. Add more honey or maple syrup and blend if its not sweet enough. Add more peanut butter and blend if its not peanutty enough. Scoop your finished frosting into a bowl and store in fridge at least one hour to firm up before using as icing for cake or cupcakes.